Michael's Santa Monica

. So many guests have since told us that our wedding was the best wedding they had ever been to, and we owe it all to Laura, Miles (the AMAZING chef), the wonderful staff, and the beautiful setting that Michael's offers. You will not be disappointed!!!

the most perfect party I’ve ever been to as a guest, which obviously would have been amazing. (Still okay as the bride though, I guess ;).) What makes Michael’s so great is that you can have a party there that feels totally intimate, refined, and lavish all at once, and I think at weddings, that is just such an impossible tone to strike. It was really important to me that my guests feel totally spoiled -- so many of them were making long trips across the country to get there -- and Michael’s totally, absolutely delivered on that. I have received an outpouring of unsolicited gratitude from almost every guest, commenting in particular on the ethereal space, the delicious and abundant food, and amazing drinks (especially our custom Bessito – named after our sweet pup, Bessa – crafted for us special based on 2 or 3 images I pinned on pinterest). Laura, the coordinator there, is an absolute wonder. She held my hand through the whole planning process and brought all of my half-baked ideas to life to every last detaikl, including seeing to it that we had custom-made signage that matched our signing poster (which I had ordered at the last minute off of etsy) and for our table numbers that matched our programs and placecards. We had just under 100 guests, but honestly I think the space is perfect for even a bit more than that. We had the most amazing, intimate candlelit dinner in the garden and terrace space with these amazing long tables and fruit/floral liners, which just perfectly complemented the lush walls around the garden. (Since we had our ceremony in the garden as well, the staff was totally wonderful about flipping the space fully and seamlessly during cocktail hour.) The compliments I am continuing to get (got some today in fact) have really ranged the gamete from “wow those sliders were so amazing that we thought they were the dinner and filled up on them” and “how did you pick out the most beautiful spot in santa monica when you live in dc?” and “they were so generous with the wine, my glass was never empty” and “can I have the bessito recipe? would I be able to make it at home?” and “marcona almonds in the Brussels sprouts, are you kidding me??” and “can we go back yearly for the same exact party?” (which is particularly incredible since the guest who made this last statement lives across the country in florida!). Anyway, thank you so much Michael’s for making our wedding night so memorable for us and our guests – I highly recommend this venue with zero reservations!

d! This place was PERFECT - drinks were delicious and GENEROUS, food was perfectly priced and so scrumptious, ambiance was inviting and fun yet very professional, and the staff was very attentive. Laura, the events manager, was so easy and pleasant to work with from beginning to end. Michael, the owner, even greeted us afterwards to make sure we had a good time, and boy did we!! Thank you Michael's restaurant for such a delicious and memorable Bachelorette Party!

re many years ago. Everything went perfectly! We had about 80 guests and they shut down the whole restaurant for us. Weather was perfect, food was amazing, and the venue is beautiful. The staff was professional and stayed out of the way so we could enjoy the night. They even gave us a few bottles of wine and champagne at the end of the night to take home with us as a favor! The coordinator Laura is truly a professional. She knew everything about the place, got back to us with all our questions quickly, and was extremely helpful in the days leading up to the event. We are thrilled we had the rehearsal at Michael's and are planning on using it for bday parties and other small events in the future.